


Not Her

by megabeccaw



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-03-18
Packaged: 2018-03-18 12:48:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3570266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megabeccaw/pseuds/megabeccaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day at the office, Riza finds herself coughing. But that's not what makes her stop: she's coughing up blood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Her

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt fill from [my tumblr](http://futurefuhrerroymustang.tumblr.com/). The prompt was:
> 
> One of them being diagnosed with a terminal illness AU
> 
> I hope you like it! Feel free to leave criticism

She was sitting at her desk, organizing her boss’ schedule for the next week, when she started to cough. She wouldn’t have thought anything of it, as it was cold season, except that when she pulled away the arm she’d covered it with, she saw dark specs of blood. She stopped, trying to discern what this could mean.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted. “Miss Hawkeye, could you-“ She put her arm down and snapped her attention to her boss, but not quickly enough, she realized, as the man speaking immediately cut off.

“Is everything alright?” he questioned, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face.

“Of course sir.” But she must have still seemed off, as Mr. Mustang didn’t leave it.

“Riza, what’s wrong?” this time it was softer, completely conveying his worry.

Riza knew she should tell him, but she wasn’t even sure what the problem was herself. She simply showed him her arm. “I was coughing.”

Roy studied the presented arm, but he couldn’t figure out what it meant either. He turned to get his keys and grab their coats. Riza quickly caught on, accepting her coat and following the man in front of her to his car. All they knew was Riza wasn’t well.

\---

As Roy sat in the ER waiting room, his worry increased. What if it was something serious? He had to resist the urge to start pacing, but finally, finally, his assistant returned. At first, relief began to wash over him, until he saw the look on Riza’s face. To anyone who didn’t know her, she would’ve looked serious as usual, but he could see the hints of fear in her expression. He stood as she walked toward him. “Riza?”

She couldn’t look him in the eye, a clear sign that something was wrong. “It’s lung cancer. Stage 2.” She briefly smiled at him before continuing, “I talked to the doctor though, he says we might have caught it early enough to stop it.”

Roy was stunned. No, this can’t be. Not his assistant. He can’t lose her. Not Riza. Once he quickly composed himself again, he forced a smile. “At least we caught it in time. We’ll get through this, you’ll be fine.” He brought her in for a tight hug, and if he felt dampness on his chest as she latched on tightly, he didn’t mention it, focusing too hard on his eyes’ own dampness. She’d be okay. She had to be.


End file.
